


Wiznerds (placeholder)

by Moxis787



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Friendfiction, This Is For You, Writing this for me and me friends, nerds
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-01-20 19:33:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21287015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moxis787/pseuds/Moxis787
Summary: Two aurors, a beast expert, and a magical experiment walk into a bar-
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

“Hey Jor!”

Jordan turned, half way through the front door of her workplace. There was a crowd of others behind her, each of them quietly shuffling there way along, save for one young man that was pushing his way towards her.  
It was Alex, a friend of hers from school. His hair was brown and shaggy, sticking up at odd angles. A sign that he hadn’t bothered to brush it today. He came up to her, taking the door from her hand as they stepped inside. As they stepped through the veil, into their building, he spoke.

“How are you doing today? Got any contracts your working on?”

“Not right now. I finished one off a few days ago, just finished the paperwork yesterday. Should be getting a new one as I walk in today.”

“Sweet. Wonder if you’ll need a beast expert again.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her and chuckled, making her roll her eyes.

“If I do, it wouldn’t be you. Sammy said that, after last time, I don’t get to pick my personnel for a while…”

“What? That’s ridiculous.”

“Well, I still get to ask for help from whoever I want, but if its official assistance, I don’t get to choose.”

“That sucks. I can’t believe he restricted you like that.”

“After that whole thing with the nifflers? I honestly don’t blame him.” Alex winced and nodded silently.

“Guess… that’s a good point…”

“I gotta get going. You know how they get when I’m late.”

“Yea, your right. I’ll see you later, gotta get to the sanctuary.”

“Bye Alex.”

“See ya Jordan!”

Alex went back out the front door and Jordan turned towards the crowds.

The building she was in was tall. It’s ceiling vanished into a mist of clouds and memos flew freely through the air. It was the headquarters of MACUSA. Jordan hadn’t lived in New York for long. She had only recently been moved to the head investigative team. In fact, her two year review was coming up. She’d be pulled into Sammy’s office any day now. Hell, probably today.  
She stalked over to the elevator, smiling slightly to the elf that controlled it.

“All the way up?” He asked, his voice gravelly.

“Yup, all the way.”

He nodded and closed the door, blocking anyone else from stepping on with her. The ride was fast. The floors flew by in a blur and Jordan toyed with her wand through her pocket. It was slipped into a pocket inside her jacket and she could feel the handle through her normal pocket. For a while, she’d been thinking about cutting a small hole through her normal pocket, so she could grab it if she needed it in a flash.  
She hadn’t gone for many… adept dark wizards yet. They’d all been pretty easy to handle. Sloppy. Slow. Hopefully today, she’d get something more interesting. She had been brought to New York for big bad guys. There weren’t many around these days, but she hoped for something.  
The doors slid open and she stepped off, thanking the elf as she did. She flicked him a sickle and he tipped his hat at her, slamming the door and launching himself back down through the building.  
It appeared she was the last one to get here this morning. All of her co workers were already shuffling around, half of them sipping coffee, half of them shuffling through papers. Jordan made her way to her desk, nodding to those that noticed her. She sat down and grabbed her pen, looking through her papers for the half finished report she had on her last dark wizard hunt.  
It hadn’t been anyone special. She only remembered their name because she had to write it down ten thousand times. This was certainly not something anyone had told her about. She’d only ever heard about the hunting, the action, the adventure. Never the paperwork.

Suddenly, a file fell in front of her, knocking the pen from her fingers and crushing the paper under it. 

She turned to glare at the owner of the file, but found herself face to face with her boss, James Miller. He looked tired, as he usually did, but this was a deeper exhaustion then she was used to seeing.

“What’s this?” She asked slowly, resting her hand on the face of the file. Across the front of it was a name she didn’t know, scribbled against it in the President’s handwriting.

_Grigan Grimm_

  
“Grigan Grimm?”

“Mhm.”

“Who is Grigan Grimm?”

“Dark wizard.”

“Alright, dickhead.”

“Just read the damn file. I don’t have time for your questions. If you have important questions, ask Samuel.” Ask Samuel? She was suppose to ask the President of Magic if she had questions on this dark wizard. That didn’t bode well.

Before she opened the file, she lifted it up, pulling out the paper that was now creased beneath it. She straightened it out and set the file back on top of it, opening to the first page. It was a picture. Not a mugshot, as she was expecting, but more of a blurry, grainy snap of a man at the end of an alley. He had a hood over his head and was wearing all black. In his hand was a wand and it looked like the picture had been taken midcast of a spell.  
The light blooming from the wand was bright green and put a pit in Jordan’s stomach. Whoever took this picture was probably dead now.

She couldn’t see any of his face in the picture and couldn’t make out any sort of jewelry or mark that would set him apart from the normal dark rabble that slithered through america’s underbelly. It wasn’t the first time she had so little to go on, but it would still be annoying.

Jordan skimmed through the text on the first page, finding it all pretty normal. Rising dark wizard, threat to our community, blah blah blah. When she flipped the page, she paused.

He had a list of followers.

It was name after name of witches and wizards that apparently backed the man in the picture.

Even Baker, Ivy Treller, Markus Miller, Vincent York, Macy Rosemary-

“Macy Rosemary,” Jordan hissed, her eyes narrowing at the page before her.

“A name you know?”

She glanced up. Oliva was leaning over the front of her desk, one of her plucked brows raised in question and a manicured hand on her hip. She didn’t work on this floor.

“What are you doing here? I thought James told you not to loiter.”

She rolled her eyes at Jordan and sat on the corner of the desk, her skirt ever so slightly slipping up her thigh.

“What? Am I not allowed to ask a question?”

“Not when it involves an investigation.” Jordan flipped the file closed, keeping her thumb in place to mark her spot. She’d noticed Oliva’s eyes rolling over the text and noticed when she poked her lip out in mock sadness.

“You’re so mean to me.”

“When I have to be.”

She scoffed and slipped off Jordan’s desk, coming to stand behind her chair. She scanned the room for James, then turned back.

“You need a drink or anything? Something to put the pep in your step today?” She’d brought out her sickly sweet voice and was batting her lashes innocently.

“No.”

She dropped her act and rolled her eyes again, slipping away as James came back into the room from Samuel’s office. She’d gone on a date with Oliva in the past. Oliva was beautiful and seductive, but all she wanted was information. She wasn’t a journalist, but she was trying damn hard to be. All she needed was a good story and a meeting with a publisher at The New York Ghost and she’d be just where she wanted to be.  
So far, she’d gotten neither and would continue to get neither from Jordan.

That was also why she didn’t trust any drink that Oliva got for her. All she needed was a single drop of veritaserum mixed into her cup and it would all be history.

Jordan opened the file again, glaring down at Macy’s name. Another old flame of hers. It happened before Macy had gone dark, right as they had gotten out of school. They’d both been in Horned Serpent together. Macy had been more in the popular girl crowd and Jordan had an affinity for trouble.  
She used to help Alex sneak out at night to catch the nocturnal creatures that wandered the grounds. She’d never been huge on magic creatures, but she’d do anything if it meant breaking the rules.  
The memories made her smile, but it only lasted a second. She flipped to the next page, a page of his crimes. It was a very full page. Two pages, actually. Most of it was murder. There was a lot of property damage and theft. A few kidnapping charges. A lot of magic in front of no-majs. Really… a lot of everything.  
This was not a good man.

Slowly, Jordan stood up from her desk. She slipped her jacket off her shoulders and draped it across her chair, grabbing her wand and tucking it into her pocket. She took the file with her as she headed for Sammy’s office.  
She knocked her knuckles against the door twice, leaning next to the frosted glass to hear him when he spoke.

“Come in!”

She did just that, slowly pushing her way into the room.

“Ah! Jordan, I… suppose this is about the file I had James give you when you got here?” Samuel was around 50 years old. He was tall and thin. A frail looking man in a big chair. He was bald, though his face was covered with a neatly trimmed brown beard which was streaked with grey.

“It is. About… Grigan Grimm… seems like quite the wizard.”

“He is. That he truly is… what is it you have questions about?”

“Well… all of it, really. I mean… he’s got a novel of crimes on the third page and… followers? He’s got followers? No dark wizard has been able to gain followers since…”

“Since Voldemort, yes. This is why I asked James to give you the file; you are very perceptive of things such as this and this hopefully tells you just how dire the situation is.”

“Are you saying this guy is at the same level that Voldemort was at?”

“No, no! If he was, I’d have every investigator on our team out to find him!” He chuckled slightly to himself, before continuing. “But he is… rising. I imagine that, if left unchecked, he will reach such heights. We cannot let that happen.”

“No, no we can’t. So… is there any… description of him? Anything he wears that will set him apart or… anything that I can go off of to help find him?”

“Not that we’ve been able to find. He is very good at staying unnoticed. The picture in the file is the first one that was taken of him and it was at the cost of the photographer.” Jordan hummed softly and opened the file again, looking over the picture. All she got from it was that he was skinny. Probably about average height, but it was at an angle and fuzzy, so she couldn’t be sure.

“I did notice…,” She looked back at Sammy as he spoke. “There is a name on the followers list that you have shown an interest in during past investigations. Macy Rosemary?” Jordan sighed and his eyebrows rose.

“Yes… I know her.”

“Personally?”

“I did. A few years ago, we were in a… relationship. Before she started her… life of crime.”

“Oh! That’s… unfortunate. It won’t be a problem, will it?”

“No. Actually, now that I think about it, it will probably help. If she’s running in his circles and I can find her, finding him will be no problem.”

“Do you think you’ll be able to find her?”

“I’ve been tracking her down for a while. Between cases, I’ve been doing what I can to find her.”

“Interesting. Do you think you’re close?”

“I have a lead that I’ve been wanting to follow, though I haven’t had a chance to do so between my other cases.”

“Well, it sounds like it is the case now.”

Jordan smiled. She had been wanting to follow this trail for weeks now. It wasn’t really going anywhere, but it was like an itch in the back of her mind. One she desperately wanted to scratch. And now, she could do it while on the clock.

“Am I free to head out?”

“Whenever you feel you’re ready to.”

She nodded and thanked him as she left.

When she stepped back into the main room, she found that it was only half as full as it had been. Most of the others had gone off to their own jobs by now. The ones that were left were filing away papers or chatting with each other at their desks.  
Jordan noticed Oliva had already draped herself across someone else’s desk and was giggling away at whatever they had said. The person in front of her shook their head, clearly not convinced by whatever act she had put on this time. Everyone on this floor was used to her, though they rarely made her leave, like they were supposed to do.

She went back to her desk and set the file down on her pile. She pulled open one of her drawers and grabbed a different file with a different name scribbled across its face. One she had written herself.

_ Macy Rosemary_

The file’s corners were frayed and bent. She’d even scribbled little flowers or devil faces around the name when she’d been bored. She set it in front of her and flipped it open.

The first page was a small stack of pictures. Many of them had been cut in half. Mostly to get her own face out of them. They showed Macy. A blonde haired, blue eyed woman, with a cunning smile and thin figure. She was tall, taller than Jordan, something that had always kind of annoyed her. She was beautiful, but dark.  
The other pages were very much like Grimm’s. Minus the followers page, of course. Instead of followers, she had last known locations, possible connections, cold leads. Things that Jordan had pulled together over the last few months. And of course, the next page was crimes. It was all the same. Forbidden spells, murder, theft, nothing new. Nothing interesting.  
James suddenly knocked on the corner of Jordan’s desk, getting her attention.

“Sam says your heading out soon. Didn’t think you’d have a plan yet, with so little to go on.” She watched as his eyes followed Oliva, who was strutting over to the elevator, finally leaving for the morning.

“Not going for the big guy himself, but one of his followers. Someone I used to know and someone I’ve been looking for in my own time for a while.” He glanced down at the file in front of her, looking over the information she’d gathered.

“Two years deep in the investigative team and already doing pet projects?”

“Two years here, one year back home.”

“Still, early in your career to be so serious about stuff like this.”

“Well, that bitch stole my favorite hoodie, so I’m not leaving her alone ‘til she’s behind bars and I get it back.” Jordan stood up, tugging her jacket back over her shoulders and slipping her wand back into place. James shook his head, laughing softly as he did.

“Need any backup?”

“No, I should be fine. She’s more of a ‘talk first, attack later’ kinda bad guy. Always has been a fan of monologuing, even in school. Besides, I don’t think I’ll find her today.”

“Hm. Wanna say yes just so I can get out of here?”

“Ha, sorry man, but I gotta do this one alone. Two of us could attract attention.”

“Damn. Can’t blame me for trying.”

“Nope. I’ll see you later though, keep Oliva out of my drawers.”

“Can do.”

Jordan waited until James walked away and leaned down into one of said drawers. She grabbed a satchel from under a stack of books and grabbed both of the files from her desk, slipping them inside. She slung it over her head, putting the bag on her right hip. Then, she headed back to the elevator.

* * *

Once down on the street, Jordan took a sharp left right outside the door. She walked a few blocks away, then ducked into an alley, turning to make sure no one could see her. Then, she disapparated.

When she landed, it was in a dark hallway. Down one way was a door. Down the other was light and laughter. As Jordan stepped into the room, she smiled.

“Hey! It’s the hunter!” Val cried, raising his glass towards her.

“Hey guys. How goes the search?”

“Eh, just as annoying as always,” Maddie said, stepping out from a side room. She threw herself down onto the couch beside Val and Jordan took a seat in an old armchair across from both of them.

“What are you doing here so early in the morning?” Val asked.

“Got a new file when I went into work today. Was wondering if you guys could help me with it.” She reached into her satchel, through her other papers and books and items she kept inside, and found her two files.  
She kept the one about Macy on her lap, but handed over the one about Grigan Grimm.

“What do you guys make of him?”

Maddie pushed herself into Val’s lap as he flipped it open. Both of them raised their brows at the picture on the first page.

“Looks right up our alley. An elusive dark wizard that’s hard to photograph? Bet I could get a better one of him if you give me a week.” Val muttered, moving to the next page.

“I absolutely will not let you do that. He killed the person that took that picture. I am not letting you risk your life to get a selfie with the bastard.” Val rolled his eyes. Maddie suddenly sat up. She’d been reading through the list of followers and her mouth was now hanging open in surprise.

“Macy Rosemary!? She’s a follower of this guy!? He’s got followers?!”

“Another reason I came to you. Wanted to see if that lead on her was still good or not.”

“I think so. She wasn’t going anywhere last time we checked on it, but you’d have to ask Zack.” They skimmed through the rest of the names, noting names that they recognized, then moved to the next pages, once again painting their faces with shock.

“Fuck, this is one bad dude…,” Maddie whispered, looking back to Jordan. She nodded and they handed the file back to her.

“Before I go hunting for him or Macy, I’m going to all my contacts first. Seeing if you’ve heard the name, seen any sort of new gang mark showing up on tag walls. If there are any whispers of future greatness, or whatever the fuck. Sammy said that, if we don’t take this guy down now, he could be the next Voldemort.”  
Both of them suddenly paled.

“I know you guys just hunt elusive magical creatures, but you have information that a lot of others don’t. And your unassuming. If you go poking around, no one is gonna be like ‘oh, them Cryptids are up to something, better keep an eye on them’, you know? They’ll just think it’s another plan to get to moth man or something.”  
Jordan stood up and the other shared a look.

“We’ll… keep our ears open. And we’ll tell the others when they… get here.”

“Thanks. I gotta get going. Got a few more people to get to before I start the hard work.” The both nodded, looking shaken.  
Jordan wanted to say something. Something to make them feel better or understand that it wasn’t a big deal… yet. But she had nothing. So… she disapparated.

* * *

Jordan apparated on the top of a building.

She stood at the edge, looking out over the city and sighing.

So far, she’d been to four of her contacts, The Cryptids included, and she’d gotten almost nothing. Allie had heard Grimm’s name start circling the underground, Nate knew a few of the names on the list and could tell her that they were some bad people, but not where to find them, and Zoey had nothing.  
There was only one other person she could go to before she planned on hunting down Zack and seeing if his lead on Macy was still good. It was around noon now, so he should be awake soon, at least.  
Jordan pulled out her phone, scrolling through her contacts until she found the name ‘Babs’. It was for her most… interesting friend in the dark community. Mary Babineaux. Jordan had met with her a number of times, but she’d never been able to really understand what she looked like. From what she’d heard about Mary, that was how everyone remembered her. They couldn’t get her hair color or eye color right. They could tell you that she was colder than an arctic winter, but besides that? Nothing stuck.  
The only shitty part about knowing her was that sometimes, she vanished. Without any trace of where she could have gone. She always came back, be it a few days or weeks later, but it was worrying. No one knew what she did on those trips. She didn’t have friends and only did jobs for nameless bosses.  
But Jordan took the chance and texted her.

Luckily, she apparated in next to her a few moments later. It had scared the complete shit out of Jordan, but she didn’t let it show.

“What do you need?” She asked, staring out across the city.

“Got a new file this morning. Wondering if you knew anything about this guy. Grigan Grimm.”

The second the name left her lips, Mary turned to face Jordan, her mouth set in a deep frown. Jordan pulled the file out of her bag and handed it over. Mary opened it and flipped through the pages, the lines on her face heavy with… worry? Anger? It was hard to tell exactly what it was, but it was clear she wasn’t happy.

“He’s finally gotten on your radar,” She said softly. She shook her head and closed the file, handing it back to Jordan and stuffing her hands into her pockets. “He’s bad news. Very, very bad news.”

“I know. That’s why I’m asking you about him. Actually, I’ve asked almost everyone I can about him. At most, I found someone that knows his name. No one can give me anything.”

“They’re lying to you.”

Jordan turned to look at her, her eyes slowly narrowing.

“Everyone knows who he is. He won’t let them go a day without reminding them. Running around the allies and subway tunnels, preaching about his power and his goal. Immortality and freedom. Anyone who says they don’t know his plan is lying right to your face. Unless they’ve been living under a rock.”

She looked back out to the city, letting the information settle on her. At least she knew The Crytpids weren’t lying. They did live under a rock, so she could trust them. Everyone else, though…

“I’d have thought someone would have shut him up by now.”

“They tried. Nothing stuck.”

“What do you mean ‘nothing stuck’?”

“It means that I saw some big burly bastard kill him. I watched him cast the spell and I watched that skinny freak fall to the ground, dead. Then, the next day, that big guy was dead and Grimm was back to his preaching, looking as healthy as ever.”  
Jordan was shocked into silence.

That was impossible. It had to be! Mary didn’t lie, she had no reason to lie, so this was… bad. Very bad. Jordan looked back out to the city, her hands slowly starting to shake.

“Won’t be your problem after tonight, though.”

“Why not?” Jordan whispered.

“He’s leaving the states. Going for London.”

“What? Why?”

“That’s where all the big bads in the past have gained their unknowable power, guess he figures he’ll find whatever they did.”

“I have to stop him!” Jordan started to turn away, but Mary gave her the hard truth.

“You can’t. You won’t be able to find him in time and he’s got too many on his side. I guess that whoever you have in your contact list are either afraid of him, or already supporting him. You shouldn’t trust your circles, Rowenwood. I have no idea who he’s got with him and if I don’t know, you certainly don’t.” With that, Mary disapparated, leaving Jordan confused and slightly scared.  
She had to get back to the office and tell Samuel. And James. And Alex. She couldn’t have her best friend from school running blind when this kind of trouble was brewing.

Jordan disapparated herself, then apparated in the same alley she’d left this morning. She turned the corner and had to hold herself back from sprinting into the building. The ride up was painfully slow, but she couldn’t apparate inside. Once she got up there, she looked through the room, spotting James rising from his own desk, rubbing his face and sighing. He looked up as she came over.

“We need to talk. Is Sam here?”

“Yea, he’s in his office. What’s wrong?”

Jordan said nothing. She just waved for him to follow and went over to the door, knocking on it in a hurry and almost pressing her ear against the glass to hear him speak. Once she got the okay, she threw the door open and almost slammed it behind James.

“Jordan? What’s wrong?”

“We have a problem.”

She gave them everything she’d found throughout the day, everything that Mary had told her, without giving Mary’s name, of course. About his preaching, about his power. About what happened between him and the big wizard.  
By the end of it, James had fallen into one of the chairs in front of the desk, looking like he wanted the earth to swallow him whole. Samuel looked flabbergasted and slightly panicked.

“W-well… that certainly… changes things.”

“And the same contact told me he’s leaving for London. Tonight.”

“There’s no way we can stop him. If all of our contacts are on his side, no one will tell us where he’s going to be or how he’s going to get there,” James said, eyeing the bottles of brandy that Sam kept in a cabinet in the corner.

“We cannot let him just run amok there without warning the Ministry of Magic. Or helping them.” Sam was quiet for a moment, his brows furrowing. Jordan heard the words before Sam spoke them, but he spoke them nonetheless.

“How would you feel about going to the UK, Jordan?”

* * *

She was set to leave in three days, but before she did so, she still wanted to check in on Zack. She still had a chance to find Macy and having at least one of his followers off the street would put her at ease.  
Jordan went back to the Cryptids place and found it more full than before. Val and Maddie were still lounging around, but now Zack was draped over his chair in the corner, Mark was sitting on the floor, a pile of books in front of him, and Brittany was by their ‘evidence wall’, which was just a mess of papers, blurry photos, and red string.  
They all cried their hellos, but Jordan honed in on Zack.

“Hey, do you still have that lead on Macy?”

“Yup. It’s still good to. She hasn’t been going anywhere.”

“I need it. Right now.”

“No problem.” He slipped his wand from under his back and waved his laptop over. Once it was in his lap, he flipped it open and typed in his password. He clicked around and looked through things while Jordan stood impatiently in front of him.

“You okay? You seem… really tense.” Val asked.

“I’m okay, but… you know what I said about Grigan Grimm earlier?”

“To ask around and see what we can find out?”

“Yea. Don’t do that. Found out that he’s… not someone you want to tangle with. Just stay out of it, okay?”

Val and Maddie shared a look, but they nodded. Finally, Zack turned the laptop towards Jordan, showing her an address and a picture of a townhouse. It was across the city, but it wouldn’t take long for her to get there.

“You should apparate a few blocks away from the house. She’s got some sort of set up that lets her know when there is a witch or wizard within, like, a thousand or so feet of her place. Haven’t had time to map out the exact distance.”

“Got it. She’ll be ready for me and I’ll be ready for her. Thanks guys. Stay safe.”

And she left.

The street she apparated to was shockingly clean for New York. And quiet. Jordan was two blocks away from the building, standing in an alley by herself. She kept one hand on her satchel and moved out into the street, glancing down the road to the townhouse Macy was suppose to be in.  
Slowly, Jordan walked down the street. She’d left her satchel and her files back in the office and she held her hands in her jacket pocket, feeling the end of her wand as she did so. She had no idea if Macy would attack her when she saw her.  
Jordan hadn’t actually seen Macy in a year and a half. They’d broken up soon after they moved to New York. Macy had started hanging out with the kind of wizards that Jordan had come here to stop and neither of them was willing to compromise. So, Macy began her life of crime and Jordan started tracking her down after a few months.  
And now, Jordan stood at the door of what she assumed was her home.

She took a breath and raised her hand, ready to knock.

But the door opened before she could.

There stood Macy. Smiling. Calm. Beautiful.

“Hello Jordan. It’s been a long time.”

It took a second for Jordan to pull herself together.

“Hi Macy. How’ve you been?”

“Oh, I’ve been fantastic. Got a new job, made some new friends… I’m guessing that’s why your here?”

“Yea… it is… can I… come in?”

“No. No you can't.”

Suddenly, Jordan heard growling behind her and turned to see a pair of sleek, black, dog like creatures stalking towards her. Jordan suddenly noticed that there was absolutely no one on the streets around her.

“You see Jordan… you’re here for… well, for my life!” Macy giggled a bit to herself and leaned against the door frame, tapping her painted nails against the wood. “And I can’t let you take it from me.”  
The creatures in front of her were thin. Their heads seemed to come up to Jordan’s waist. Their heads were slim and their eyes were nothing more than two white dots on either side of their skull. Their mouths were cut open in a wicked smile, showing countless teeth, all curved like hooks. As they slithered towards her, she saw the light softly shining against their bodies and she could see through them, ever so slightly. She saw their bones within them and their clear lack of organs.

“Now… Macy, we can talk… this doesn’t have to get ugly…” As Jordan said it, she reached for her wand. She clutched it in her right hand and stood ready to cast. She wasn’t… supposed to use the killing curse, but right now, as the dark creatures in front of her moved closer, it was the only spell she could remember.

“Oh, I’m afraid that it does have to get ugly. Sorry Jordan, I’m sure you understand. Now, I have a… flight to catch and you have some of my new friends to get to know! Have fun you three.” Jordan heard the door slam behind her and the creatures lunged at her.

“Impedimenta!” Jordan raised her wand as the came for her and they immediately slowed. They didn’t stop, but they slowed. Instead of a full on sprint, they were just back to prowling towards her, their muzzles twisted in rage.  
Jordan turned and ran. She’d tried to disapparate, but whatever spell Macy had around her house kept her from doing so. So she headed for the street she’d come from.  
Thankfully, it wasn’t far and she had enjoyed no-maj sports throughout her younger years, so she was fast.  
Just a second before she vanished, she heard the snarls right behind her. She made a mental note that the magic didn’t last long.

* * *

The third time Jordan walked into the room, James was waiting for her.

“What happened?”

“I found Macy.”

“And?”

“And… she attacked me… kind of.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’ll tell you in a sec, is Sammy still here?”

“Yea, he’s in his office. He told me to bring you to him as soon as you got back.”

“Perfect. Let’s go, you both need to hear this.”

James didn’t even knock. He simply opened the door, causing Sam to look up from whatever paper he had just been signing.

“Ah, you’re back. Did you find that woman?”

“Macy. Yea, I found her.”

“And?”

“And it didn’t go as planned.”

She told them about what happened. About how she got her information, though she didn’t say from who. The Crytpids may not be real dark wizards, but they were still criminals. Almost every investigator had bad people they talked to, that was true, but they never said who they were.  
Jordan told them about the very short conversation and the strange black dogs.

“He uses beasts. Lovely,” Samuel said, sighing.

“And it sounds like Macy is close enough to him to be heading off to the UK with him. Maybe part of his inner circle,” James stated. Jordan had sat herself in the other free chair in Samuel’s office. She rubbed her eyes and sighed.

“You should take a beast expert with you to London.” Samuel said, shuffling through the loose papers on his desk. “I just had one’s name across my desk, a young woman, a couple years of experience under her belt. She’s helped Carson with some cases and… ah, here it is!”  
He tugged a page free from the clutter of files and handed it to James. He skimmed it for a few seconds before showing it to Jordan. She did the same as him.

“Hannah Clark, huh?” She had long red hair and bright blue eyes. She was pale as a ghost in her picture, but judging by the smile on her face, that was normal.

“Yes. She works at the same sanctuary as that friend of yours, the one that… caused the issue with the nifflers.” Sam said, slightly narrowing his eyes at Jordan.

“Alex,” She replied.

“Yes.”

James shook his head and took the page back, setting it back on Sam’s desk.

“She seems good. Should we go get her now?”

“Are you coming to London with me?” Jordan asked.

“No. But I don’t trust you to choose your own personal anymore.”

They both stood up.

“Oh, before you go, get a sketch artist to draw a picture of those dogs you saw. See if anyone at the sanctuary can identify what they are and how to deal with them.”

* * *

[The Dogs](https://imgur.com/w9HP69V)

[The Artist](https://ravenloggifts.tumblr.com/)


	2. Chapter 2

Hannah walked through the magic veil, entering the sanctuary with a smile. She was greeted by Nugget, a young thestral. He hopped around her in joy, his thin wings flapping behind him. His mother, Hawk, slowly stepped from the trees. 

Hannah kneeled down, gently rubbing Nugget’s skeletal snout, and slinging her back pack off her shoulder. She unzipped the front pouch and pulled out a plastic bag. Inside of it was a pile of raw, cubed meat. She pulled one out, gently nudging Nugget’s head away from the bag, and tossed it in the direction of his mother. He trotted away as Hawk came forward to sniff it. Hannah pulled out a second one and tucked the rest of the bag away before standing. She held her hand flat and offered it to Hawk as Nugget licked his off of the ground. Hawk used her beak to softly lift it from Hannah’s hand and she raised her head, letting it fall down her throat. 

She licked her lips and chuffed at Hannah before turning back into the trees, leading Nugget along with her. 

Hannah moved deeper into the sanctuary, breaking through the tree line and spotting the small set of huts that had been built in the center of the main field. People were going in and out at their leisure, preparing themselves for their daily tasks. 

She saw Alex and Sara and Michael in and around the hut they used for sick animals, so she headed for the feeding house, calling a hello to Ashley and Jesse. 

“Morning Hannah! See anyone on your way in?” Ashley asked, heaving up a bucket of chopped meat. 

“Nugget and Hawk came to say hi. He’s been growing pretty well,” she replied, setting her backpack on the same table Jesse was sitting on. 

“Ah, thestrals. Sometimes I wish I could see them,” Ashley said, setting the bucket beside the table and grabbing a pitcher of water. She started dumping it into the meal pile and Jesse jumped off the table.

“You want me to take care of the Mooncalves today?” She asked, pulling her hair up into a bun. 

“Sure. I’ll take the Bloomstags and Silklings. Ash?”

“I’m already preparing for the big grump. It's teeth cleaning day, so I might need some help in about an hour or so.” She pulled her wand out of her back pocket and waved it in the air. Suddenly, an army of brushes lifted off the wall, each of them floating behind her, ready and waiting. She grabbed the bucket, tucking her wand between her lips and heaved it off towards the lake, nodding her goodbye. 

Jesse walked into the hut to grab the pellets and Hannah followed behind her, searching for a bag of oats. The inside was much larger than the outside.

“How’ve the Silklings been? I haven’t handled them in a while,” Jesse said, using her wand to pile the pellets into her bucket. 

“They’ve been alright. The young ones keep getting tangled in the trees, though. It’s hard to keep them in the fields and out of the forest.” Hannah grabbed the bag from the floor and lugged it outside, setting it on the table and fishing her own bucket out from under the table. Jesse walked out and grabbed one of the remaining brushes from the wall. 

“Alright, you know where I’ll be if you need me. See you later.” 

“See ya!” Hannah poured a quarter of the bag into the bucket and took the bag back into the hut. When she walked back out, she pulled her wand out of her backpack and stuck it in her back pocket, then grabbed the bucket handles and walked towards the fields, the same direction Ashely had gone. 

Once she reached the grassy hill, she looked down over the rest of the sanctuary, setting the bucket on the grass. Off in the distance, Hannah saw the lake and Ashley still walking towards its shore. She could see the huge, dark, swirling figure beneath the waters, twisting and turning playfully. 

Just in front of her, a few hundred feet away, were the Silklings. 

They were small creatures. Coming no higher than Hannah’s hip. Hannah herself was rather short, standing only 5 foot, 3 inches. One of them noticed her presence and began to swish over towards her, it’s free flowing legs being dragged sideways by the wind. This one was bright purple and half the size of the adults. The leaves atop its head were small and bright, its mushrooms and stones buzzing with excitement. 

Hannah left the bucket on the top of the hill and came down towards it. 

Silklings were simple. They were named after their legs, which looked like silk flowing in the wind. Their faces were nothing but a set of small, iridescent eyes set far on either side of their head, which was shaped like a large tooth. Their heads had leaves, mushrooms, stones, and flowers growing upon them, twitching with their emotions and easily harvestable as potion ingredients. Their feet looked as though they were heeled suction cups, connected to their silks by little pearls. 

Across the field were all sorts of colors of Silklings. The one in front of Hannah was purple, but the three behind it were all a soft sky blue. There was a slight scattering of greens, reds, oranges, pinks. Each of them were shuffling towards her, lightly dragged away by the wind. 

Hannah set a hand on the head of the purple one and it chirped softly, leaning into her touch. Silklings didn’t eat, since they had no mouth or nose or… holes of any kind. But they were light and easily drawn away in storms. Keeping them untangled and safe was the main goal. 

She counted them all twice, making sure they still had the full 17 of them, then sat on the grass, petting the purple one as it softly crouched down next to her, its eyes glowing in the morning light. 

Most of them kept shuffling close, some of them crouching down and purring for attention. Others just stood beside the others, fluttering in the wind and staring off across the landscape. 

Silklings didn’t do much. Since they didn’t eat, they didn’t hunt. They were slow and weak, but nearly meatless, so they were rarely prey. Mostly, they spent their time trying not to get tangled in branches or bushes. 

Hannah sat there, petting them and pampering them, for about twenty minutes. Once they seemed happy, she stood. Most of them stood with her and began swishing back down the hill, going back to their quiet wondering. 

In the distance, Hannah watched Ash prepare her horde of brushes. She could still see the shadow under the water, now laying in wait, probably watching Ashley the same as her. A smile crept onto her face and she turned, heading back up the hill and grabbing her bucket as she did. 

She then turned left, heading for the larger of the two forests that covered the sanctuary’s grounds. Once she pushed her way through the trees, she took a short walk to one of the smaller clearings and set the bucket down once more. 

She slipped her wand out of her pocket and waved it at the oats, which lifted slowly into the air, twisting into a thin tornado. Then, she swished her wand towards the center of the clearing, where they flew and dispersed, covering the ground. A few moments later, a head poked out of the underbrush. 

It was small and looked like a dear. Its fur was a silvery gold and it had a huge set of horns sprouting from its head. They twisted like vines behind its skull and bloomed with beautiful golden flowers. 

As it crept out into the open, more followed it, each one steadily stepping out onto the grass with their thin hooves. Bloomstags were of average height. Their heads came up to Hannah’s, so she was eye to eye with them, usually. Some would be smaller, but she’d never encountered one bigger than herself. Minus the horns, of course. 

“Hey, Margret,” Hannah cooed, slowly approaching one of the smaller females. “Feeling good today?” Hannah glanced over her horns and her legs, making sure that she was okay. Margaret in particular was one of the braver Bloomstags and often wandered into territory she shouldn’t. Just last week, one of her horns had half of its flowers crushed, though they had no idea how.

Unlike normal deer, female Bloomstags also had horns. Their flowers were silver instead of gold and their bodies were usually larger than the males, so they could carry their fawn with ease. 

Suddenly, Jesse stepped into the clearing, her chest heaving. She had been running, but she’d stopped just before the forest, so she wouldn’t spooky the stags. 

“Hannah, there’s… there’s some people here… to see you… MACUSA people…” She put her hands on her knees and took a few deep breaths, getting her breathing back under control. 

“MACUSA? Is it Carson’s people again?” 

“No, I have no idea who these people are. Just walked up and asked for you by name. I had just gotten back from the Mooncalves, so I came to get you.” She stepped forward, running her hand across one of the Bloomstag’s short fur. 

“What did they look like?” Hannah asked. She tucked her wand back into her pocket and grabbed the bucket again. Jesse started leading her back through the trees as she spoke.

“Just a man and a woman. Women looked young. The man looked tired.” 

Hannah hummed to herself and spotted them as soon as they broke the tree line. 

The two were about the same height. The man was a few inches taller. His hair was black and peppered with grey. Her hair was shoulder length and brown, pulled back into a low ponytail. Both of them were dressed in dark clothes and looked very serious. 

“Don’t tell me I’m in trouble…,” Hannah muttered. Jesse smiled, but shrugged and took the bucket from her hands, bringing it over to the table while Hannah approached the two. “Hi. Heard you asked for me?” 

“Hannah Clark?” The man asked. She nodded. They shared a look. 

“You’ve helped Tyler Carson with some investigations in the past, yea?” The woman asked. She nodded again. “Would you be willing to help me?” 

“Well… I guess that depends on the job. First off… introductions? You know me but… I don’t know you.” 

“I’m James, this is Jordan. The man we are going after is Grigan Grimm, a rising dark wizard. He is using magical creatures to aid him in his… quests and we were hoping you could at least identify the kind of beasts he was using.” Hannah raised her brows at him, but went along with it. He was very ‘no nonsense’. 

“I can try. Got a picture?” 

“We have a sketch. They attacked me when I saw them, so I didn’t have any time to get a  _ real  _ picture.” Jordan said, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Hannah.

Again, she raised her brows. 

The picture was… odd. A strangely slim, black dog, with white eyes and lots of teeth. 

“It… kinda looks like a Matagot. But those are in France and also… look like cats. Besides that, I have no idea. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

The bags under James’ eyes seemed to double in weight and Jordan’s face twisted with annoyance. 

“I mean… you could try asking some of the others. I may be an expert, but I certainly don’t know about  _ every single _ creature that exists. Plus, it could be a new one! We’re still finding new things every day. The ones we have here are just the ones that are in immediate danger.” 

“How would you feel about going to London with Jordan?” James asked.

Hannah was shocked by the sudden question. She’d always wanted to go to London. Really, anywhere in the UK, but so suddenly? With no warning, no warm up?

“I… I mean, I…  _ why _ ?” 

“For the investigation. The bastard that used those creatures is leaving for there tonight. We can’t catch him in time, so Jordan is going to the Ministry of Magic to help them track him down. If he’s using things that no one knows about, she’ll need a beast expert by her side.” When Hannah still hesitated, he added, “You’ll get paid for it, of course.” 

The pay wasn’t what she was worried about. 

What she was worried about was that they were hunting a dark wizard. In a city she didn’t know, with creatures she’d never seen before. She’d helped Carson, but mostly just with information. She’d counseled him with how to deal with beasts, came with him to get a hippogryph out of danger, but had never actually been part of the action or in line of dark wizard’s fire. 

But also, she’d wanted to go to London for years and had just never found the time. Adventure was always a dream of her’s. Maybe this was the opportunity she’d been waiting for…

“When… would we be leaving?” She asked slowly.

“Three days, at the very soonest.” 

“Well, I’d have to inform my boss, the leader of the sanctuary, and… I mean, I have a cat. I have to find someone to watch him. But… besides that, it should be fine.” Both of them nodded. 

“I’ll have Sam send her a letter. He’ll get it all cleared up for you,” James said. 

“Sam?” Hannah asked.

“Samuel Quahog.” 

“Oh! Oh… okay.” Having the President himself sending a letter to her boss about her sent a very strange shiver through Hannah’s body, but she brushed it off, turning to Jesse, who was casually leaning against the table. 

“Hey Jesse!” She turned, looking innocent as can be. “Would you be willing to watch Jinxx for… well, probably a while? Until this is all cleared up?” 

“Of course! I love that little bastard. I’ll be happy to have him as an extended guest.” 

“You named your cat Jinxx?” Jordan asked.

“My sister did. He was a birthday present from her… so, I guess that’s it? Three days, we go to London?” 

“Yep. Jordan, you still got the files?” 

“No. I left my bag on my desk.”

James sighed, but took it in stride.

“Okay, well, we’ll send you a copy of Grimm’s file. We don’t have much, but you’ll want to be as prepared as possible before you go hunting him down.”

“Got it.”

James nodded, then motioned for Jordan to follow him. They turned and started walking towards the barrier. There was no apparating within the sanctuary, so they had to go out the old fashioned way. 

As they went, one of the guys from the sick hut ran out, waving after them and calling Jordan’s name. It was Alex. Hannah didn’t know him well, however. She usually only worked with Jesse and Ash. Speaking of…

Jesse was  _ still _ casually leaning against the table, totally not listening to absolutely everything that had just been said between Hannah and the MACUSA people. 

“Guess I’m going to London.”

“Lucky.”

“Yea, lucky. Also gonna have to get in front of a dark wizard and his mystery creatures.” 

“Be sure to name one after me once you tame it, k?” 

Hannah rolled her eyes and leaned against the table. Her mind was racing. 

She was actually gonna be in the field. She was gonna  _ actively _ help an auror find a dark wizard. Hannah was flooded with excitement. But also fear. Death was a real threat, but also, she got to go to London for free; something she’d been saving up to do for  _ years _ on her own money. Of course, she’d probably not have the time to do what she wanted to do. All the tourist-y stuff. But maybe, if things went well, they’d give her another day or two to herself!

She had no idea how investigations went. How fast they moved or how much time it took to actually track down the people they were looking for. She’d never really kept track of when Carson wanted his information. He’d always come to her at strange intervals, sometimes late at night or early in the morning.

“Hey, Hannah?”

“Yea?”

“I think Ash could use some help down at the lake. Looks like Winny is being difficult again.” 

Winny was their Blue Augua Serepe. She was one of the last few left alive. Usually, she was an amazingly sweet and intelligent creature. But she had her moments and it seemed as though she was having one now…

“Let’s go give her a hand. I’m gonna talk to the Boss Lady once we’re done.” 

* * *

Hannah stepped through the barrier of the sanctuary and apparated away. When she came back into focus, she was in front of a large house. An old country home with lots of flowers in front of it and lots of windows. 

Slowly, she walked up the steps, gently knocking on the door. 

It was opened by the hand of a young girl with brown skin, big brown eyes and short black braids. She smiled at Hannah.

“Are you here to see Auntie?”

“I sure am, Rosey. Is she here?” 

“Mhm! She’s in the garden. I’ll take you there!” The girl grabbed Hannah’s hand and pulled her inside. She closed the door loudly and skipped through the house, tugging Hannah past the grand staircase and into the sunroom. The double doors that led outside were wide open and she saw her boss, Violet, kneeling in the grass beside her tulips. 

“Auntie! Hannah is here to see you!” 

Violet turned, smiling over her shoulder and pushing herself to her feet.

“Hannah! This is a surprise. Everything alright at the sanctuary?” 

“Yea, yea, everything is fine there. We just finished cleaning out Winifred’s teeth and… I wanted to come talk to you while I had a free minute.” 

“Is everything okay with  _ you _ ?”

“Yea… it's just… some MACUSA Aurors showed up today and…”

“Rosey, will you let me talk to Hannah alone for a minute?” Violet asked, pulling her gardening gloves off. Rosey looked upset, but she nodded and ran back inside the house. Then, Violet looked back at Hannah, her expression hard. “What happened?”

“Oh, it’s nothing bad! It's just… they asked me if I’d be willing to help with an investigation. Long term… in London.” Violet's brows raised.

“Really? When would you be leaving?” 

“They said three days. They also said that… the president would be sending you an owl… to clear everything up and give you the details and stuff.” 

“Samuel himself? You must have some impressive secret past for him to be clearing you personally.” 

Hannah chuckled. She wished her life was that interesting. All she’d done was help an acquaintance. 

“Well… I’m sure I’ll get a bird soon. Thanks for letting me know. You gonna head back to the sanctuary or would you rather go home? I’d be fine with you taking the rest of the day off if you think you need it.”

“I might. I’ll check with Ash and Jesse to see if they need me, but if not, I’ll start getting ready tonight.”

“Okay then. You have fun! Probably best not to tell Rosey, she’ll ask you to bring something back for her.” 

“Eh, I’ll probably bring something back for her anyway. I can't say no to that face.” 

Violet laughed a bit and nodded. They said their goodbyes and Hannah went back through the house, seeing no sign of Rosey as she went. She wanted to see her before she went, but she didn’t want to go yelling through the house. 

Luckily, as she reached for the front door’s handle, Rosey came sprinting into the room, giggling as Violet's owl, Culsifer, chased after her. She stopped as she spotted hannah. 

“Hey Rosey! If I was… say… going on a trip, maybe… in a few days… and going somewhere  _ really _ interesting… what would you want me to bring back for you?” Hannah asked, innocently blinking at the little girl. 

Her eyes widened and she thought for a moment. Suddenly, a big grin spread across her face.

“A puffskein!”

Hannah was slightly confused, as getting a puffskein should be easy to do  _ here _ . But she didn’t reject it. She’d probably have some weird excuse like color or something, so Hannah just said okay, gave her a hug, and went on her way. 

Her way home was fast. She apparated into the alley beside her apartment and stepped out into the street. It was mostly empty, just a few no-majs walking around, staring down at their phones.  She pushed her way into the building and went up to the third floor, where her home was. 

When she pushed open the door, she was greeted with two things. 

First, a loud, screaming meow from her cat, Jinxx. Second, a wave from her roommate, Sage.  Sage was slightly younger than Hannah and well on her way to being a professor at Ilvermorny. Currently, she works as a tutor for magical children. 

“Hey Sage! I have um… some stuff to tell you about…”

“I figured. You’re home a lot earlier than usual.” 

Jinxx wondered between Hannah’s feet as she set her bag on the counter. 

“So… you know how I sometimes help that guy, the auror, with investigations and stuff? Just giving him details about creatures or my ideas with stuff and that?”  Sage stopped what she’d been doing in the kitchen and nodded, her brows furrowing together.  “Well… thanks to that, I had two other aurors come into the sanctuary today, asking me to go to  _ London _ with them… to help long term with an investigation.” 

“Long term?” Sage’s eyes flickered to Jinxx, who was rolling around Hannah’s feet and biting the sides of her boots. “How long?”

“I actually don’t know, but don’t worry about the little bastard. Jesse said she’d take him for us while I was gone. I know you like him, but I also know how he is.”

“Alright… when are you leaving?” 

“Three days at the soonest. So… I’m gonna start packing now. Do you have a bag I could borrow? One with… a charm on it?” She fluttered her eyelashes at Sage as she said it and put on her sweetest smile. She shook her head at Hannah, but said yes. “You’re the best! Don’t worry, if you need anything packed for any reason, you can use any of my bags or whatever you need.” 

“I won’t, but thanks. Need any help getting your stuff together?” 

“Nah, I can handle it. Thanks though!” Hannah reached down and grabbed Jinxx, pulling him up under his front legs and into her arms like a sack of potatoes. He meowed at her in protest, but she ignored it as she walked to her room.

“I’ll get you the bag in a second,” Sage called. 

“K!” Hannah pulled her laptop up off the floor as she stepped into her room. She tossed the cat onto the bed and opened the top of it, tapping in the password and clicking open her browser. Jinxx meowed at her and jumped off the bed, trotting off to the living room as she pulled up youtube. 

Sage came in, tossing her backpack at Hannah. 

“I’m actually not going to be here in three days. I have family shit to do.” 

“Ah, okay. When are you leaving for it?” 

“Tomorrow. Around… noonish, probably. I can only apparate so close to the church without people noticing.” 

“Got cha. Thanks for the bag!” 

“Yup. No problem.”

She kept the door slightly open, so Jinxx could come and go as he pleased, and Hannah pulled up a video to watch while she folded her clothes. 

* * *

The days passed faster than Hannah had thought possible. 

The first day, she went to work again, doing her rounds with the Bloomstags and the Silklings and the Mooncalves and Winifred. Violet had come around and let her know that she’d gotten her letter from Samuel, that Hannah was cleared to go for as long as she needed to. 

Violet had also given her a pressed flower. One that she’d grown and cut and pressed herself. She told Hannah that it was a lucky token.  Not a real one, not imbued with magic, but one just to make her feel better. Hannah had lots of problems with confidence and Violet felt like this would help.

Hannah kept it in her wallet, since she didn’t carry a purse. 

The second day was all packing. She’d gotten her own letter from MACUSA, though this one wasn’t straight from the president. This one was from James, the man that had found her before.

It was full of the details about their travel plans; where they would be meeting, how they would be going. They’d be using a plane to go most of the way, but apparate out once they were over UK soil. It would be a private flight with only wizards, so they wouldn’t have to worry about exposure. 

It was taking off at 7 am, making Hannah want to die only a little bit. She was not an early riser. The earliest she had to wake to get to work was 10, so 7 was hell. However, the flight took nearly 8 hours to complete, so they’d only get there around 2 in the afternoon. They wouldn’t have to go through security or anything, since magic took care of all that, so it would be much faster than no-maj flights. 

Hannah would meet them out front around 6:40 am, at the south entrance. 

8 hours would be a great chance to get to know Jordan better, since James was only going to be there to make sure they’d get on the right flight. 

Hannah also took Jinxx to Jesse’s house on the second day, as she didn’t want to wake up earlier than she had to. 

She took him over there the old fashioned way, since he wasn’t a fan of apparating, but after that went back and forth from home to get his litter box and food and toys and such. She also gave Jesse some money for food he’d need while she was gone, since she really had no idea how long she’d be in London.

Then the third day came. 

Hannah woke up at 6:20, giving her twenty minutes to get dressed, double check all her things, and get to the airport.  Getting dressed and brushing her hair took only a few minutes. She had laid out her clothes for the day the night before and had her hairbrush and toothbrush ready in the bathroom.  Sage was already awake when Hannah stumbled out into the kitchen. 

“Morning,” She said, setting her newly empty bowl in the sink.

Hannah grunted at her in response. 

“Gonna head to the airport soon?” 

Hannah nodded. 

“I’ll miss you.” 

Hannah smiled, lifting her tired eyes to meet Sage’s.  “I’ll miss you too. Want anything fun from London?”  Sage crossed her arms and leaned against the wall in the kitchen. She thought in silence for a moment. 

“I don’t know. If I think of anything, I’ll text you, but if not, just grab me something you think I’d like.” 

She nodded, yawning. 

“Want something to eat before you go?” 

“No. It’ll just make me sick. I’ll eat on the plane.” 

“Alright. 

“Bye Sagey.” Hannah stumbled over and gave Sage a hug. 

“Bye Hannah. Be safe.”  Hannah smiled and nodded, pulling away and adjusting her backpack straps. She took in a breath, double checked she had her phone and wand, then disapparated.  She appeared in a back alley next to the entrance of the airport. It was protected by a magical veil, so the crowds of no-maj’s didn’t glance over and see them suddenly appear. She wandered out into the throng 

James was easy to spot. He wasn’t the only casually dressed, tired, middle aged man. But people were actively avoiding him. Maybe it was some kind of charm to keep him easy to see, but it was strange.  Hannah ignored it, however, and wondered right up. He lifted his eyes from his phone screen and he looked her over, raising an eyebrow at her single backpack. 

“My roommate is good at charms.” 

“Hm.” 

He turned and led her into the building. They went through a back hallway, one used for those who didn’t need to use security. Hannah had been through this way before, but usually had to show ID. She guessed that with someone like James with her, it wasn’t necessary. She didn’t even see anyone there to watch the entrance. 

James walked her through the building, easily weaving between the people, and every now and then checking to see if she was still behind him.  When they reached the gate, Hannah felt herself pass through a veil. The air shimmered slightly and air moved past her ears. It was a security field, to keep wizards from bringing unauthorized things on the plane.  Jordan was sitting in a chair, at the edge of the group. She looked as tired as Hannah felt and she was staring down at her phone, completely ignoring the world around her. She had two bags at her feet. A backpack and a duffle bag. As well as a small satchel hanging off her right arm.

James walked up and fell into the seat next to her, motioning for Hannah to do the same on the opposite side of her. She did just that. 

“Alright, so… about 7 or 8 hours to London. You’ll be meeting with the Ministry tomorrow, ‘cause it’ll be like… 8 pm when you get there. They’re five hours ahead of us, so have fun with that. There’s an apartment or something you’ll be staying at that’s totally paid for by Sam. Should be someone outside the airport to take you there.”

“I thought you said we’d be apparating to the Ministry when we got there,” Hannah said.

“That was the original plan, but since you’re going to be getting there so late in the evening, and because Grimm isn’t a yet well known threat, the people at the ministry decided it would be better to just see you tomorrow morning.”  Hannah nodded and turned to scan the screens around her. They would be boarding in five minutes. 

“I’ll leave you two to it then. I hope you don’t need me to board the plane with you.” 

“We’ll be fine,” Jordan said, glancing up from her phone. 

“You sure? Sam will blame  _ me _ if anything goes wrong on your way there.” 

“We’re both grown ups, James. We will be fine.” 

“Hm. Alright… better get back to HQ, then… work to do…”

“Have fun.” 

“...you sure you don’t want me to hang around for-”

“ _ James _ . Go do your  _ job _ .” 

He sighed, but grinned and nodded. He said goodbye to Jordan, nodded to Hannah, then started the walk back through the airport.  Hannah chuckled a little as he left and Jordan gave her a sideways glance. 

“He seems fun to work with,” Hannah muttered.

“As fun as anyone can be in MACUSA. He’s been doing this for too long, but he’s good at it. That’s how he’s survived so long.” 

“...lots of danger in your job?” She asked, fidgeting with her fingers in her lap. 

“Yea. But that’s why we do it, so that other people don’t have to worry about it in their day to day.” Jordan had looked back to her phone, but she looked back at Hannah again, slipping it into her pocket as she spoke. “So… when you helped Tyler with those cases in the past, what exactly did you do for him?”

“Um… well, it was mostly just giving him advice. I came with him a time or two to get a creature out of danger, but I was never in any real danger myself. At least, that’s what he’d tell me. But most of it was just me educating him on things he didn’t already know or telling him a creature's weak spot or… stuff like that.” 

Jordan nodded and glanced over at the screens; just in time for one of the attendants to start speaking over the intercom. 

* * *

The plane took off on time. Jordan and Hannah sat side by side in business class. 

Neither of them had ever flown in business class, but of course, Samuel had for his auror and her beast expert.  Once they were in the air and well on their way to London, Hannah turned to Jordan. 

“So… what made you want to be an auror?” She asked softly. Not many people were chatting around them, so it felt almost like talking in a public library at the time. 

“Well… the adventure, honestly. The excitement.” She smiled to herself before saying: “I used to sneak out at night, at school, with my friend Alex. He would catch magical creatures that wandered close to the school and I would help him get away with it… he actually works at the same sanctuary as you.” 

“I know Alex! Not well, cause he works the other cycle, but he seems nice.” 

“Other cycle?” 

“We have cycle shifts. Every other day of the week. Each week, you go between the hut where you take care of the healthy animals, or the hut where you tend to the wounded or sick animals. Since the sanctuary is so big, we almost always have someone wounded or sick to deal with. He’s on the other team that switches huts with us every week. Pretty sure I saw him chasing you down when you were leaving the Sanctuary.” 

“Yea, he did. Wouldn’t let me leave without at least saying hi.” She chuckled to herself a bit, shaking her head. “What about you? What got you into beasts?” 

“I just… love animals. Not great around people, but animals are just… better.” 

“I can agree with you there. Take a year or two hunting dark wizards and you start to understand just how horrible people can be.” 

“Yea, I get that. But I’ve just always loved animals. Some of them are really cute, but most of them are just so interesting. Like… how did they get that way? Why? What evolutionary step did they take that got them to where they are? And how does it help them now? In a hyper technological and futuristic world?”

“That’s a lot of interesting questions.” 

“One’s I hope to answer some day. Though I know I can’t do it for every creature I come across, I at least want to solve one, if I can.” 

“Maybe once we’re done with this whole mess in the UK, you can.” 

“That’s the dream.” 

They fell silent for a while, each of them keeping to their devices. Jordan pulled out her phone again and Hannah tugged a book from her backpack. 

Every now and then, an attendant would walk by, asking if they wanted drinks or food or anything else.  Hannah mostly said no. She took a snack and a soda every now and then, but refused any bigger meals or any other amenities. Jordan usually did the same, but took a full meal the first time they offered it. 

The hours passed slowly, but they passed. 

Both Hannah and Jordan had napped on the plane a number of times. They’d swapped stories about their jobs and generally got to know each other.  Hannah would consider them friends now, or at least compatible co-workers. Jordan would have said the same had someone asked. 

Eight hours later, a voice sounded over the intercom. 

“All passengers landing in London, please gather your things. Your apparition window is approaching.” Only a handful of others stood from their seats around them and Jordan and Hannah did the same.  They both grabbed hold of their bags and looked up the aisle, where the attendant was waiting. Neither of them had ever been to London before, so it would be terribly dangerous for them to try to apparate themselves into the airport. 

Thankfully, a number of attendants came down the aisles suddenly and one of them stopped next to the pair of young witches.

“You two have never been to London before, right?” They both nodded. “Alright, then once we are in the apparition window, just take my hand and I’ll get you both there safely.” 

“Thank you,” Hannah said, almost instinctively. 

“Oh, don’t you worry about it. We like to make sure everyone is as safe as possible on these flights. The company doesn’t need anyone getting splinched on our watch,” she said, giving them both a smile. Jordan returned it and Hannah nodded.

The voice from before sounded once again.

“All witches and wizards prepared to apparate, please do so now. Thank you for-” 

Neither Jordan nor Hannah heard the last of the announcement, as the attendant that had a hold of them, suddenly apparated. 

* * *

[The Silklings](https://imgur.com/JOUseUW)

I had an image for the Bloomstags, but I lost it, so sorry. Will put it here if I ever find it again. 


End file.
